Angel Reese tallied 17 points and 17 rebounds in her first game against her former team as the Atlanta Dream defeated the host Chicago Sky 82-75 on Tuesday night.
Reese was one of five players to score in double figures for the Dream (8-3, 3-1 Commissioner’s Cup), and she also notched four assists and two steals. Reese now has a double-double in eight of 11 games this season. She continues to lead the WNBA in rebounds with 12.2 per game.
Rhyne Howard added 17 points, five assists and three steals, Naz Hillmon added 16 points and Jordin Canada and Allisha Gray tossed in 14 points apiece. Atlanta got just four points from its bench.
Natasha Cloud paced the Sky (4-8, 1-3 Commissioner’s Cup) with 18 points off the bench. Skylar Diggins added 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting, while Kamilla Cardoso chipped in 13 points and four blocks.
Chicago led by four points near the start of the fourth quarter after Cloud knocked down her first and only 3-pointer of the day. The Dream then broke off a 12-6 run to take the lead with about four minutes remaining.
A layup from Cloud cut the Dream’s lead to just a point, but Atlanta responded by closing the game on an 11-5 run, a surge that began with back-to-back buckets by Hillmon — a layup and a 26-foot 3-pointer. Reese or Howard provided the assists on the Dream’s final five baskets.
Howard became the youngest player in WNBA history to record at least 2,500 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists, 200 steals and 100 blocks in a career. She leads the league in steals this season with 3.1 per game.
The Dream won despite shooting a season-low 19.2% from behind the arc. Atlanta outscored Chicago in the paint 48-26. The Dream also won the rebounding battle by 11 and turned 16 Sky turnovers into 25 points.
–Field Level Media
